The fishing industry has over $42 billion dollars in annual expenditures in the US alone and an estimated 30 million participants. Anglers in the United States spend an average of 566 million days of total fishing on the water. Many anglers are willing to invest in new technologies to enhance their fishing experience by providing tools to more efficiently use their recreational time.
An apparatus for collecting, storing and transmitting fishing information is described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0249860. Its Abstract states a system for collecting, storing, processing and transmitting fishing or other sport information includes a data logging and processing module and connected sensors for automatically collecting data during participation in the sport. A data communication module collects data input by the user. Data from both modules is input into a personal computer connected to a web site that uses the data from the modules and collected related data to provide a virtual guide service.
A fishing data display device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,161,872. Its Abstract states a fish depth monitor is a device that can display first water depth data that indicates the location of terminal tackle that is engaged on fishing line reeled out from a spool, and second water depth data that indicates the location of the bottom of a fishing location transmitted from a fish finder, and includes a case, first and second reception portions, a display unit, and a control unit. The first and second reception portions receive the first water depth data from an electric driven reel and the second water depth data from the fish finder. The control unit graphically displays the received first and second water depth data in positions that correspond to the water depth on the display unit. It is possible to intuitively determine the positional relationship between the location of the terminal tackle and the location of the bottom.
Integrated mapping and audio systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,236,426. Its Abstract states an integrated position mapping system and an integrated sonar mapping system both permit recording, storage and playback of audio data. Audio data is provided to the integrated sonar mapping system or the integrated position mapping system so that it may be correlated to position data or echo data. The integrated sonar mapping system includes a sonar transducer for emitting and receiving sonar signals that may be subsequently be processed to provide echo data from objects in the water which reflect sonar signals. The integrated position mapping system includes a position receiver for providing position data. A controller not only processes the data for storage, but also correlates the audio data to echo data or position data. The correlated data may therefore be retrieved for playback of the audio data and display of the position data or echo data.
A remote fish logging unit is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,449. Its Abstract states a portable recording device, namely a remote logging unit, for electronically recording relevant information related to fishing conditions, and the like. The recording device has sensors for detecting environmental conditions and/or for measuring physical data on a specimen caught. The device also includes input mechanisms, such as a touch screen, for manually entering information, and a display for reviewing information stored in the device's memory. The recording device may be connectable to a personal computer for creating a personal log of the user's activities and/or for loading additional information into the device. The device may transfer recorded data to a central repository, for example using a transmitter/receiver for sending a data signal to a network server which maintains a database of information related to fishing conditions at a number of locations. The network server may receive and compile information from a number of remote units at various locations, thereby providing a system for sharing such information. A remote unit may contact the server from a remote location and request information on fishing conditions for a selected location.